reacting to my phone’s ring

how long the telephone has haunted me

not for itself, or even for the sales

calls that take my time and energy

but (as i finally realized only recently)

because for years patients and friends

would call my public home number

by-passing the on-call system

of our physicians’ group

each time it rang in the evening

i cringed, hoping it was not a plea

for special attention i was too tired

to give graciously when i wanted

time with my family

these years of retirement are only now easing

what had always seemed

my strange reaction to my phone’s ring